


Return of an Ancient

by SkyrimWriter2060 (CatandKaraForever)



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-29
Updated: 2015-12-29
Packaged: 2018-05-10 03:39:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5569453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatandKaraForever/pseuds/SkyrimWriter2060
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>2000 years after the events of 4E201, a small force of explorers stumble upon a lost ship, on which is the ancient Dovahkiin Allea, the same Dovahkiin who killed Alduin. They find that she is not alive, but dead. This leads a new adventure to begin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Bosmer archer Nimle fired a Daedric arrow, and a frost troll went down just as a blast of flame from Nimle's lover's staff struck it. Her lover, a Nord by the name of Kolfinna, drove her staff into the snow, as they looked around. Nimle's elf vision easily penetrated the thick fog, and she spotted a ship. The winds were howling and a thick snowstorm was blowing around the two women and their companions, an Argonian warrior by the name El-Lee, a Dunmer assassin named Rizia, and a Khajiit assassin named Dar Li.  
"We need shelter from this storm," Nimle shouted, hoping her lover and their mutual friends could hear her over the wind, "there's a ship over there! It's not too far, we can probably make it in 5 minutes!"  
"This one agrees that we need shelter. But Dar Li wonders, we don't know what's on that ship! There could be anything," the Khajiit assassin pointed out, one hand on the hilt of her ebony sword.  
"You're right, Dar Li. But it can't be any worse than this storm, and even if it is, we can probably handle it," Nimle shouted.  
"She's right," Kolfinna said, "We need to go to that ship. NOW!"  
Kolfinna winked at her Bosmer lover.  
"Okay," Dar Li said, "we'll go, but this one still thinks it might be a bad idea. If it's dangerous, don't say this one didn't warn you."  
"Enough bickering," Rizia said, "let's just go."  
They set off, trekking through the blowing snow and taking shelter inside the ship, which turned out to be leaning to the starboard side slightly. The inside of the ship was decorated with carvings. One was of a woman leaping through the air and bringing an enormous axe to bear on a dragon. Another showed the same woman, next to another one, someone who was clearly a mage, fighting a mage in a mask. Nimle brushed the carving of the woman fighting the dragon, finding text below it. She read it aloud.  
"The Dovahkiin Allea slaying Alduin in Sovngarde," she read aloud, then moved to the next one, the one of the two women fighting the mage in the mask, "Allea and her lover Serana fighting the First Dragonborn, Miraak at the summit of Apocrypha."  
Nimle looked around, and sure enough, the entire entranceway of the massive ship was decorated in carvings of the Dragonborn in various scenes. She suddenly grew nervous.  
"I know what ship this is," Kolfinna said, "this is Allea's Hope, the famous ship that the Dovahkiin was on when she disappeared. As such this place is certain to be rigged with traps. We should be careful."  
"Should we go deeper? Maybe Allea's still alive."  
"It's been 2000 years since she vanished, Kolfinna. Unless she was a vampire, she's long dead."  
"But that's the thing, we don't know if she herself was one, but we know her lover was."  
"We lost some of our supplies on the trek here," Rizia pointed out, "we don't know how long the storm's going to last. We could look for supplies onboard."  
"Yes, we could. There's no guarantee there'll be any here, but it's worth a try," El-Lee said in her Argonian accent, "And if the storm lasts too long and we run out, we can always venture back out."  
"Okay, we'll check it out," Nimle said, "Unless Kolfinna thinks it's a bad idea."  
"No, I think we should."  
"Everyone ready your weapons. We don't know what we'll be facing," Nimle said, "but don't be weapons happy."  
Her companions nodded. El-Lee drew her steel battleaxe, Dar Li drew her ebony sword, Rizia drew his twin scimitars, Kolfinna drew her warhammer, and Nimle drew her bow. Nimle pushed open the door, drawing her bow back. An ice wolf jumped out in front of the party, and she fired, striking it down. A figure in fur armor dropped from the rafters, swinging a pair of steel maces at Rizia, who parried with his scimitars and unleashed a flurry of blows that sliced the bandit across the chest and throat repeatedly.  
"There's bandits on this ship? That's not...that's not good."  
Kolfinna swung her warhammer, which was made of glass and had a fire enchantment, caving in a bandit's iron-armored chest. The remaining bandit, obviously the leader, who was wearing a set of Daedric armor, minus the helmet, swung his greatsword, which was Daedric in origin. Kolfinna ducked under the sword, which scraped very shallowly into her Stormcloak cuirass. She smashed the front of her hammer into the bandit's stomach, barely fazing him. She pulled back, striking at his legs. Her hammer connected, smashing his legs out from under him. She brought her hammer down, splitting the bandit's skull with her hammer. Blood sprayed from the wound. Another bandit popped up, speaking in a Nordic accent.  
"I knew I heard something," he growled, drawing a steel greatsword.  
He lunged at the group, swinging his greatsword over head. An ice spike buried itself in the man's chest. He crumpled. They looked around, and Nimle saw her first. The mage was a woman wearing a cuirass that left the tops of her breasts exposed. She had glowing orange eyes.  
"It's Serana," Nimle said aloud, "Allea's lover!"  
To be Continued....


	2. Chapter 2

Serana readied her ice spikes, aiming at the group.  
"Identify yourselves," she growled.  
"I am Nimle," Nimle said, "this is my lover Kolfinna, and our friends, El-Lee, Rizia, and Dar-Li."  
"What brings you to the ship?"

"We were taking shelter from the storm. When I identified the ship as Allea's Hope, we decided to investigate," Kolfinna said.

"I see."  
"We were also intending to take some of the onboard supplies, as we lost a large portion of our supplies in the storm," Nimle explained.

"I admit," Rizia said, "I was hoping we'd find Allea onboard. I've always had a...fascination with the Dragonborn. And since she's the last one.."

"Well, unfortunately, Allea is dead. Her death is why I am in isolation," Serana said, dismissing her ice spikes, "have you heard of the Whiterun Massacre?"  
  
"Yes...."

"Well, I'm the one who massacred Whiterun. After Allea died...I lost control, and went on a rampage, slaughtering everyone in Whiterun. After I snapped out of my rampage I....exiled myself here. That was 100 years ago."  
"You're saying that Allea wasn't dead when you two vanished?"  
"No, we...we were shipwrecked here, and for some reason, we became stranded and finally Allea, who, I don't like to say it, but see, she's a weaker vampire than I am. Or she was, I should say. Her body is still onboard. I've never dared show my face outside. Just in case...just in case someone came after me for the Whiterun Massacre. If I don't leave the ship, they won't know I'm here."

"So, you went into hiding," Nimle said, "because you lost control and slaughtered a town after your lover died."  
"She wasn't just my lover. She was my wife."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Nimle said gently, "why didn't you go to Riften, or Solitude or Markarth, or Morthal, or Windhelm? Or Dawnstar? Or even Falkreath?"

"Somebody who lived in Riften at the time of the massacre but had a husband in Whiterun, who I killed, had a bounty put out on me in every hold. I can't...I can't go anywhere but here."

"How long ago was that?"

"Right at the time of the massacre, really as soon as the other holds heard that I massacred Whiterun."  
"If that was 100 years ago, surely they will have forgotten?"

"Yeah. Probably, I just...after that, I don't feel comfortable being in a crowded city."

Serana smiled sadly.

"You can take some of the supplies. I don't need everything here. Most of the supplies are actually for the crew, not Allea and I."

"Can I see Allea's body?"  
"Why?"

"I think...I know a spell. I may be able to resurrect her," Kolfinna said, "it's a long shot, but it's worth a try."  
"Alright, if you think you may be able to bring her back, then come on, I'll show you her body."  
"Now, I'm not promising results, Serana. I'm just...I try to help everyone I can, and if I could bring her back...."  
Serana lead the group to where a Nord's body lay, preserved by a cocoon of ice around her. She was wearing a set of red and black leather armor with dozens of buckles, which Kolfinna, a historian as well as warrior and mage, recognized as the distinctive shrouded armor that the ancient Dark Brotherhood assassins wore. The newer ones wore less distinctive armor, making them harder to identify.

"She was a Dark Brotherhood assassin?"  
"Yes. She was the Listener, and at the time of her death led the Dawnstar Sanctuary. I never fully approved of her career in the Dark Brotherhood, but I still loved her, and I didn't try to stop her."

 Kolfinna held her finger in the air.

"Let me just get my mage gear on," she said, pulling a robe on over her armor, before buckling a Dragon Priest mask on her face.  
She tapped into her magic and cast the spell, feeling her magicka drain swiftly as she kept the spell focused onto the corpse. At first nothing happened, but then a glow engulfed the body, the ice melting away. The lifeless woman rose, her skin rotting away as her distinctive armor slid off her. Everyone except Serana averted their eyes. Serana forced herself to look on the rotting form of her wife. Ice spells appeared in the woman's hands as a mask with a familiar design appeared.  
"What is this? You said it would bring her back to life?"

"I did. In a way. I never expected this would happen," Kolfinna said, trying to placate the vampire, "it was supposed to bring her back to the way she was before she died. Not bring her back as a Dragon Priest."

The Dragon Priest Allea growled in Dovahzul.

"Hi joor me! Zu'u fent grongeyt suleyk do vahzah Dovah arhk al pah do hi! _FUS RO DAH!"_  
The wave of energy from Allea's Shout sent everyone except Serana flying backwards. There was a crack as Nimle struck the wall, and the Bosmer cried out in pain. Kolfinna ran to her lover, and cast a quick healing spell on her. Nimle rose, drawing back her enchanted elven bow. She loosed the arrow, which would have struck down Allea if Serana hadn't slammed the archer to the ground.

"NO! We can't kill her, we have to help her!"  
Serana rose, turning to face Allea.

"Allea. Do not do this. It's me, Serana," she said, trying to calm her dead wife, "I love you. Please, calm down."  
" _FUS RO DAH_!"

This time Serana was struck, and sent flying backwards. She transformed to her vampire lord form, flapping her wings to stop her travel. Kolfinna cast an ice spell onto Allea, hoping to cocoon the angry Dragon Priest and paralyze her. When that didn't work, Kolfinna hurled a paralysis spell that slammed into Allea and knocked her over.

"There. That should hold her," Kolfinna said, "I'm sorry this happened."


End file.
